Topic: Volunteering

Bad News

Coming of Age is All About What People 50+ Can Do. Alas, some of what we’re doing is not so good. For instance, we’re killing ourselves more. Literally. Boomer suicide rates, particularly for men, are up. And if you’re doing something that’s not good for your heart, there’s a good chance it’s probably also not good for your brain. And lastly, no less than the Huffington Post argues that we’re doing our elders a good bit of disservice.

Posted on May 10, 2013

Good News

Topics: Aging, Boomers, Civic Engagement, Health, Volunteering

Guess what? We 50 plussers make better decisions. It’s all right here. We’re also volunteering more—or so it says here. But maybe not; another report says we’re volunteering less. You decide. One thing we defintely are doing is helping our elders more, a phenomenon that is good for all concerned. And for those of you who don’t like growing older (We don't understand that; we think it’s a great thing to do!) you might try revving up your “cellular garbage disposal” (Bet you didn't know you had one!) to delay the aging process. BTW, we’re not kidding.

Posted on May 10, 2013

We Have Seen the Media... and It is Us!

Topics: Aging, Boomers, Civic Engagement, Community, Encore Careers, Nonprofits, Older Adults, Volunteering, Work

Donna Summer had our number: We're "on the radio." And it would seem everywhere else journalists, producers and raconteurs are telling stories. Coming of Age says "It's All About What People 50+ Can Do" and it seems like the media is falling all over each other to tell our stories. Check out this segment from PBS-TV's Newshour about older entrepreneurs; a radio show called "And So It Goes," where elders share their stories with the radio audience, and an upcoming movie The Age of Love about... senior dating.

Posted on Apr 25, 2013

Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves

Topics: Civic Engagement, Nonprofits, Older Adults, Volunteering

We've got to hand it to the ladies-- especially those in the Coming of Age community. They responded from all over to our appeal to "Help Refugee Women Feel at Home in Philadelphia," our joint effort with Project SHINE to identify volunteers to mentor Bhutanese and Burmese refugee women. And they also recently stepped up to the plate to be Encore Volunteer Managers, including at the Career Wardrobe to expand the group’s ability to help more women get work and at the Women’s Center of Montgomery County to help build a revenue stream for the Center.

Posted on Apr 8, 2013

Nonprofit Training to Utilize Boomer Know-How

Topics: Boomers, Nonprofits, Volunteering

With financial support from The Philadelphia Foundation, Coming of Age held a two- day workshop (the Learning Lab) to encourage nonprofits in the Greater Philadelphia area to make use of stipended "Encore" Volunteer Managers (over age 50) in their organizations. Of the 32 organizations that participated, an overwhelming majority indicated they were interested in having an EVM join their team. Managers that have been selected will start in April. This article will give you an idea about the training session and our Learning Lab curriculum.

Posted on Mar 25, 2013

Refugee Women's Project Needs You!

Topics: Mentoring, Refugees, Volunteering

Coming of Age and its Intergenerational Center partner, Project SHINE, are offering opportunities for women age 50+ to develop relationships with Bhutanese, Burmese, and Iraqi refugee women, to learn about their cultures, and share knowledge about the U.S. Become part of a dynamic volunteer team to help these women learn life skills, become more independent, and better integrated into the community. Stipended Volunteer Leaders and other volunteers are needed to provide mentoring and support. All volunteers will receive training beginning in February.To learn more, call (215) 204-9066 or e-mail: mprowler@comingofage.org.

Posted on Jan 17, 2013

Volunteering: Your Entree to a New Job?

Topics: Jobs, Volunteering

Check out this Forbes magazine article to learn why volunteer work at a nonprofit is not only beneficial to your health and well-being, but can lead to a new and exciting job.

Posted on Aug 2, 2012

Volunteering Costs

Topics: Nonprofits, Volunteering

Anyone who has volunteered or been involved in training, placing, and managing volunteers knows that it can be costly. Volunteers often have to take time away from family or work to be available, as well as travel to and from work locations. With the present economy causing nonprofits to downsize their staff while the needs of communities keep racheting up, a bill has been presented to the U.S. House of Representatives to grant volunteers a tax deduction for miles driven for charitable causes. Click to learn more and to show your support for this bill.

Posted on Mar 24, 2011

Have Tent, Will Travel

Topics: Adventure, Retirement, Volunteering

An itinerant, footloose army of available and willing retirees in their 60s and 70s is making their way through the "wilderness", looking to stretch retirement dollars by volunteering to work in parks, campgrounds and wildlife sanctuaries, usually in exchange for camping space. Park and wildlife agencies say that retired volunteers have become all the more crucial as budget cuts have made it harder to keep parks open. Strap on that backpack and check out this affordable way to enjoy the outdoors.

Posted on Feb 19, 2010

Food, Sex, and Giving

Topics: Community Involvement, Contribution, Volunteering

This Op Ed by Nicholas Kristof provides a persuasive argument for "doing good." In considering what brings people happiness, he cites scientific evidence that shows that humans are hard-wired to be altruistic: when a research subject was encouraged to think of giving money to a charity, parts of the brain lit up that are normally associated with selfish pleasures like eating or sex. To put it another way, the most selfish thing you can do is to help other people. Let us know if you agree?

Posted on Jan 28, 2010

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